Cultivating tool mounting assembly



O United States Patent [1|13,5 3:6,..1-4 6 [72] Inventor Merlin A.Groenkc FOREIGN PATENTS 6km, Mlnm 594,258 3/1960 Canada 172/265 2 381967 672,621 9/1929 France 172/710 1e ug. [45] Patented Oct 1970 PrimaryExammer- Robert E. Pulfrey [73] Assignee Portable Elevator Mfg Co.Assistant Exammer-RonaldC. Harrington Bloomlnmn mindsAttorney-Schroeder, Siegfried and Ryan a corporation of Illinois 5Claims, 3 Drawing 18$ cultivat ng tool 1s mounted on a tool support,generally L- shaped in form, and plvotally mounted on a connecting frameU.S. ber a bia in s ring connected between the connect. 172/7l3 172/7l9ing frame member and tool support to bias the tool support in [51] InLClA0lb 35/06 movement relative with the connecting frame member The [50]Field of Search 172/264, biasing system includes a pressure rod which isshdahly 713, 719 mounted in one end of the connecting frame memberthrough a pivoting guide and is mounted on the tool support at an up-[56] 7 References Clted standing portion of the same through a rockingor pivoted UNITED STATES PATENTS connection to minimize wear on thebiasing system and pres- 2,739,5l8 3/1956 Rolf 172/710 sure rod.

CULTIVATING TOOL MOUNTING ASSEMBLY This invention relates to mountingassembly for cultivating tools and more particularly to an improvedcultivating tool mounting assembly.

Structures of this type are known and in use and have in the past takenvarying forms. Generally, such structures provide an arrangement forpivotally mounting a cultivating tool on a frame part and biasing thesame to a predetermined position with provision for displacement of thecultivating tool under conditions of obstruction or heavy soil during acultivating process to permit displacement of the support relative tothe earth being worked to prevent damage to the cultivating tool. Suchstructures are subject to wear and physical breakdown of the biasingsprings because of unequal strains and twisting or bending movementapplied to parts. The improved cultivating tool mounting assemblyprovides an arrangement in which the pressure rod, which transmits thebias force from the bias spring to the tool support mounting thecultivating tool in the pivoted position, will maintain the spring in acondition of alignment with the pressure rod and the pressure rod willapply only straight line force to the spring to minimize wear thereon.Further, the physical connection between the tool support and thepressure rod is pivoted to minimize breakage at this point. The locationof the biasing spring is clear of the remainingportion of the structureto provide an overall simplified structure which has a long life andmaintenance free operation.

Therefore, it is the principal object of this invention to provide animproved cultivating tool mounting assembly.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a cultivating toolmounting assembly a simplified design which minimizes wear on the sameand is low in cost.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from areading of the attached description together with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved cultivating tool mountingassembly,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the improved cultivating toolmounting assembly with parts broken away, and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the improved cultivating tool mountingassembly.

The improved cultivating tool mounting assembly, as will be seen inFIGS. 1 and 2, is adapted to be mounted on and supported by an elongatedsupport member or frame of a cultivator or plow, such as is indicatedgenerally at 10. The frame or support normally extends within acultivating apparatus in alignment with the wheel axis thereof and aplurality of such supports or frames will be included on the cultivatingapparatus to mount cultivating tools in a ganged relationship. Incultivating apparatus, such an arrangement of parts is conventional andthe individual tool support frames are adapted to be pivoted relative tothe overall apparatus for the purpose of lifting the tools betweenworking and a transport position.

The individual cultivating tool mounting assembly is comprised of aconnecting frame, indicated generally at 12, which is mounted on orconnected to the support frame 10 of the cultivating apparatus and willcarry a working tool or cultivating tool such as is indicated at 20. Thetool 20 is actually mounted on a tool support 25 through suitable nutand bolt connecting means 26 and this structure may also include anauxiliary support leaf 27 and mounting leaf 28, the latter actuallymounting the cultivating tool through suitable nuts and bolts indicatedat 30. The connecting frame 12 is shown herein as a pair of spacedplates 32 connected together by a transversely extending plate or flange34 through which is positioned a plurality of apertures 35 to mount aconnecting U-bolt assembly 38 which encircles the support or frame 10 tomount the connecting frame member 12 thereon.

Tool support 25 is mounted on one extremity of the connecting framemember through apertures 40 in the side plates 32 and a trunion-typebushing 43 positioned through the tool support intermediate its extent.A suitable journaling or mounting bolt 44 extends through the apertures40 and trunion 43 in the tool support to pivotally mount the toolsupport on the connecting frame member. The tool support includes anupstanding portion or member 50 which is connected to the extremity ofthe tool support beyond the trunion 43 through suitable bolts 52extending through apertures 54 in the upstanding portion 50 and the toolsupport. This will provide a generally L-shaped configuration for thetool support and these parts may be formed integral, if desired. Thetool support portion 50 is generally of the same width and lengthdimension as the connecting frame member and is normally disposedadjacent the same and in contact with the same such as to provide a stopor limit position for the tool support in its pivotal movement relativeto the frame member for one direction of motion. At the oppositeextremity of the connecting frame member is positioned a guide 60, theguide being a slidable journal with projecting pins 62 which projectthrough apertures 64 in the upper extremity of the connecting framemember to mount the guide 60 therein for pivotal movement thereon. Thecultivating tool mounting assembly includes a pressure rod 65 andcompression spring 66 encircling the same with a suitable tubular springform member 67 positioned around the rod and within theextent of thecoil spring to maintain the shape or form of the same. One end of thepressure rod includes a suitable support washer 68 against which one endof the spring 66 bears and it is secured on the rod 65 by a nut 69 whichthreads on a threaded extremity 70 of the pressure rod. The pressure rod65 extends through and is slidably mounted in the guide member 60against which the other extremity of the spring 66 bears. Rod 65 alsoextends through an aperture 73 in an indented or recessed portion 74 ofthe upstanding frame portion 50 of the tool support. This recess isconcave in shape and normally mounts a convexly shaped flange part 77with a suitable aperture therein through which the opposite extremity ofthe pressure rod extends to be secured thereon by a nut 78 threaded ontothe threaded portion 80 of the pressure rod.

This arrangement of parts will insure that the tool support member willbe biased in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and willpermit pivotal movement against the compression bias of the spring 65 ina counterclockwise direction to permit the cultivating tool to move outof the earth being worked upon engaging heavy ground or obstructionswhich might damage the same. As the tool support 25 with the tool 20thereon pivots relative to the connecting frame member against the biasof the spring, the guide member 60 will pivot in the extremity of theconnecting frame member to take care of the angular placement betweenthe connecting frame member and the tool support and the extremity ofthe pressure rod 80 positioned through the convexly shaped guide 77 willride in the recess 73 to maintain alignment of parts and minimize wearon the pressure rod and spring. The spring is held in compressionbetween the guide member 60 and washer 68 on the end of the pressurerod, and the spring will be compressed as the tool support pivots in acounterclockwise direction, as seen in F [68; l and 2. Any side loadingis eliminated with the guide member pivoting in the connecting framemember and the extremity of thepressure rod 80 pivoting on theupstanding frame portion such that an alignment of parts is maintainedminimizing wear on the biasing system of the cultivating tool mountingassembly. This will insure a longer life for the cultivating tool andits mounting assembly, which is simple in design, is relatively low inmanufacturing cost and is easy to adjust and use.

lclaim:

1. A cultivating tool mounting assembly comprising; a tool support, acultivating tool adapted to be mounted on a surface of the tool support,a connecting frame member including means for connecting the framemember to a transverse support of a cultivator, journal means includedin part on one extremity of the connecting frame member and in part onthe tool support for pivotally mounting the tool support on a connectingframe member, said tool support having an upstanding portion beyond saidpivot substantially normal to the remaining portion of the tool support,a pressure rod, guide means slidably mounting said pressure rod, meanspivotally mounting the guide means in the extremity of the connectingframe member remote from the means pivotally mounting the tool support,spring means connected between an extremity of the pressure rod and saidguide means for biasing said pressure rod in a predetermineddirection,said upstanding portion of the tool support having a curved recesstherein through which the opposite extremity of the pressure rodextends; and a curved connecting member positioned on the pressure rodand pivotally mounting the opposite extremity of the pressure rod to theupstanding portion of the tool support to permit rocking motion of thepressure rod relative to the upstanding portion of the tool support andthe connecting frame member with relative movement between the toolsupport and the connecting frame member. said connecting member and theI curved recess in the upstanding portion of the tool support havingapertures therein through which the pressure rod extends and in whichthe curvature of the recess and the connecting member are symmetricalwith the aperture in the recess being larger than the aperture in theconnecting member to permit the rocking motion of the pressure rodrelative to the upstanding portion of the tool support.

2. The cultivating tool mounting assembly of claim 1 in which the springmeans connected between the extremity of the pressure rod and the guidemeans encircles the pressurerod and is a compression spring with thepressure rod having threaded extremities and including nut meansthreaded on the threaded extremities to retain the spring means on thepres sure rod and the connecting member on the opposite extremity of thepressure rod.' i a v 3. The cultivating tool mounting assembly of claim2 in which the upstanding portion of the tool support has substantiallythe same length and width dimension as the connecting 7 frame membersuch that the upstanding portion will engage the surface of theconnecting frame member to limit movement of the tool support in onedirection.:

4. The cultivating tool mounting assembly of claim 3 in which the curvedrecess in the upstanding portion of the tool support is concave and thecurved connecting member attached to the other extremity of the pressurerod is a convex flange secured to the said extremity of the pressure rodthrough bolt means and restingin the concave recess in the upstandingframe member to rock thereon.

